Structural iron.



UNITED ST TES PATENT @FFiC'E.

JOHN ELLMORE, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO FIRM B. BYERS, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STRUCTURAL IRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,792, dated February 17, 1903.

Application filed February 7, 1902. Serial No. 93,097. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J onn ELLMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Structural Iron, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to the manufacture of structural iron, and particularly to a novel mode of construction of a terminal or terminals thereof which will permit of two iron beams being associated to present a continuous structure without the employment of supplemental fish or clamping plates for the purpose.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts.

of a structural iron, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the-accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like charactersof reference indicate correspondnate, respectively, the terminals of two I- ing parts,there are illustrated two forms of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into effect, it being understoodthat the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and exact manner of assemblage with out departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View in perspective of two I-beams connected in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View. Fig. 3 is a pc rspectire detail View of the end portion of one of the beams. Fig. 4 is asimilar viewof the end portion of the other beam. Fig. 5 is a View in transverse section. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the invention carried into effect in connection with two railway-railsl As is well known, the mode of procedure of connecting the meeting ends of two I-beams is by the employment of fish or clamp plates that bridge the meeting ends of the sections, and while this means of connection is thoroughly efiective for holding the beams in horizontal alinement it is essential that crossbeams or supports be provided upon which the joint shall rest in order to present a structure that will be stable in places where it will be subjected to heavy weight.

Under the procedure of the present invention a joint is provided that will present the same resistance to yielding or breakage as any intermediate partof the beam, and this is elfected by overlapping a length of the webs of the abutting beams and also superposing the bases thereof so that at the point of juncture of the two beam-sections there will bea double thickness of web and of base, the mode of assembling the parts being such that the tread or face of the two sections will present a continuous and unbroken surface, thereby obviatingthe necessity of building up or providing filling-plates to bring the upper sur-.

shaped other than that specified, and as this will be obvious detailed illustration is deemed unnecessary.

Referring to the drawings, A and B desigbeamsconstructed, as usual, with a tread or face 1, a web 2, and a base 3. The web of the section A is integralwith the base to the end thereof, and that portion 4 of the web to constitute the lapis deflected laterally, but in parallelism with the remaining portion 5 thereof, the degree of deflection being equal to the thickness of the web, or approximately so, and the trend or face terminates at the point where the deflection takes place, as indicated by 6. The under surface of the end of the base is rounded, as at 7, to impinge against the shoulder S of the section B, the Web of this section from the shoulder to the outer end thereof being disconnected from the base, the space between the base and the lower wall of the disconnected portion of the web being equal to the thickness of the base of the section A, whereby the latter may be freely passed under the detached web portion 9, with the rounded end of itsbase bearing against the shoulder 8. The web portion 9 of the section B is also laterally deflected, as at 10, but in parallelism with the remaining portion 11 thereof, whereby when the two web-sections are brought into engagement the laps i and 9 will bear closely against each other. When thus positioned, the upper edges of the laps will bear snugly against the under portion of the treads of the two sections, thereby presenting a rigid support for the treads at those points, while the detached lap 9 will bear firmly upon the upper face of the base 3 of the section A and be thereby positively held against sagging. As a means for permanently and eflectively securing the webs and bases of the two sections together these parts are provided with elongated orifices 12 and 13, respectively, through which are passed suitable bolts, or, if preferred, rivets may be employed, as in bridge and building construction, the contour of the orifices being such as to allow for expansion and contraction, as usual.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the only change necessary in the structural arrangement of a beam will be to remove in the case of the section A a portion of the tread or face and deflect the web laterally, but in parallelism with the remainder of its length, and in the case of the section B also to remove the portion of the tread or face and also disconnect or free the lap 9 from the base to present a recess with which the base of the opposite section will interlock and to deflect the disconnected portion in the manner described. In the construction of a railway-rail joint such as shown in Fig. 6 the same procedure will obtain, and aside from obviating the necessity of employment of fishplates at the meeting ends of two rails the construction herein shown renders it unnecessary that a sleeper be disposed beneath the joint.

In constructing a beam or rail in the man ner described both terminals may be constructed in the manner shown in connection with the section A or both in the manner shown in connection with the section B, or they may alternate, as will be obvious.

As will be readily understood, it will not be positively necessary under all conditions of use that the base of the member A project a sufficient distance under the web 9 of the section B to impinge the shoulder 8, so that under these provisions the section B could be readily attached to or assembled with a beam the meeting end of which is not provided with the lap 4, in which case the lap 9 will be bolted to the web of the juxtaposed section in the usual manner.

Under the construction shown the assembling of two sections of beam maybe readily and positively eifected, and by reason of the coactive relation existing between the parts when assembled there is a mutual bracing efiect operating to diifuse or transmit strain and vibration throughout the united structures, thereby obviating any tendency to localizing or centering these disturbing elements.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a beam A having a base 3, a web 2, and tread 1; the extreme end of the base being deflected to a plane below but parallel with the remaining portion of the base, the web deflected at 10, and the tread of less length than the web; of a beam B having a base, deflected web, and tread; and means for securing the beams together; the deflected base of beam A being located beneath the base of beam B, the deflected webs overlapping, and the ends of the treads located in juxtaposition.

2. The combination with the end 'of a railway-rail having a tread, a web, and a base; said base having the end portion thereof separated from the web and deflected downwardly so as to leave a space between the web and base, said web beingdeflected at the end, and said tread of less length than the web; of another and similar railway-rail having a base in the same plane throughout its length, a deflected web, and a tread of less length than the web; and means for uniting the bases and webs of the rails.

3. A beam having a base, a web coextensive therewith and having a portion of its terminal length deflected in parallelism with the remainder thereof, and a tread or face of less length than the web; the said base extending horizontally on each side of the web.

4. A beam having a base, a Web coextensive therewith, but disconnected therefrom for a portion of its terminal length, and a tread or face of less length than the web.

5. A beam having a base, a web coextensive therewith but disconnected therefrom for a portion 'of its terminal length and deflected in parallelism with the main portion thereof, and a tread or face of less length than the web.

6. The combination with a beam having a base, a web coextensive therewith and having a portion of its terminal length deflected and parallel with the remainder thereof and a tread or face of less length than the web, of a beam having a base provided with a web coextensive therewith but disconnected therefrom for a portion of its terminal length, and a tread or face of less length than the web, the disconnected portion of the web of one beam disposed so astd bear upon the base of the other beam, and the projecting web portions to extend beyond the meeting-points of the treads and to bear against the under sides thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN ELLMORE.

Witnesses:

W. W. YoN, GEO. M. METZ. 

